BAY AREA SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION SYMPOSIUM 2: THE WATERSHED

February 27 - March 1, 1991

Sally F. Treat & Peter A. Clark, Eds.

The first Tampa Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium (Tampa BASIS) was held in 1982 and emphasized the Tampa Bay estuary. Results from the first symposium identified two critical issues -the need for increased understanding of the watershed surrounding Florida's largest estuary, and the need for informed management of the system as a whole.

These acknowledged needs have stimulated recent escalations in bay management efforts and technical research. Since Tampa BASIS, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council created the Agency on Bay Management in 1985 to coordinate the multitude of agencies and organizations involved with Tampa Bay; the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management Program was created by the 1987 Florida Legislature to protect and restore surface water bodies;and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program was dedicated in 1991 to develop a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Effective management requires basic research - it is the responsibility of the regulatory and scientific communities to work together to preserve, protect and enhance Tampa Bay.

The primary goal of Tampa BASIS 2 is to bring these communities together for the exchange of ideas and information. Our objectives are to review the status of our understanding of watershed/estuary interactions, to make management decisions based on this understanding, and to disseminate this information to the public.